Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Don't "Waist" Your Sleep...

These days we're all trying to squeeze more time into the day. This most often comes at the expense of sleep. Some people will tell you they "only need 5 hours", while this maybe true from a 'functional' standpoint, their health and waistline may be paying the price.

The effects lack of sleep has on the body are numerous - hormonal changes, blood sugar regulation, increased cancer risk, obesity and many more. Now there's even more research to support the arguement that sleep is NOT over rated when it comes to weight regulation. These new findings showed that subjects sleeping only 4 hours per night consumed about 600 more calories per day than those getting 8 hours of shut eye. The sleep deprived also experienced greater feelings of hunger and tiredness throughout the day. The study did find that less sleep equated to more physical activity, although the amount of extra movement did not make up for the additional caloric load.

So, which one is it - the Late Show or the Sack??? Your decision may 'weigh' more than you think!